Game apparatus



2. Sheets-Sheet l TA H. sLoAN' GAME APPARATUS Filed June 17, 1931 July5, 1932.

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T. H. SLQAN GAME APPARATUS 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed June 17, 1931WUTNESSES Patented' July 5, 1932 UNITED STATES THEODORE H. SLOAN, OFCHARLEROI, PENNSYLVANIA GAME APPARATUS Application iiled June 17, 1931.Serial No. 544,977.

This invention relates to games, and pertains particularly to apparatusfor mechanically shuiiiing, and dealing, freely movable playing pieces,as for a hand 'of cards 1n poker. e

. Apparatus for such games as poker not only should arrange a hand comactly` within view of a player without a ording any possibility toforetell or to regulate the or-A der of cards to be received, but alsoit should be controllable to discard any units selected and in apositive manner to draw others in replacement.

Objects of this invention are to provide a game apparatus that exposes acompact hand of `freely movable counters without dependence on themanner or speed of operating an actuating mechanism; that operates by asimple butdefinite movement; that can remove counters from a hand, butonly those that are definitely discarded; that can'draw new playingunits, but none before another first is discarded; and that shuiiies thecount- ,ers effectively by the very acts of discarding and drawing to ahand.

These objects, and others, are accomplished l according to thisinvention by apparatus enclosing a courseway for the passage of a seriesof counters, with an aperture over the conrseway for exposing a limitedgroup of counters, means for expelling selected counters from under theaperture, a .magazine into which counters are expelled from under theaperture and in which they are shuiiied in their passage, and drivingmeans at the magazine outlet to withdraw counters from the magazine andadvance them along the courseway. The apparatus further comxprisesseparate keys for the discarding of selected counters from an exposedhand into the magazineand as driving means at the magazine outletcomprises a wheel having a peripheral recess to receive counters one byone from the magazine and force them 5 along the -coursewayn In theaccompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of thisinvention,

Fig. 1 is a face view of the apparatus with its cover partially brokenaway to expose the playing units and internal mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus with its casing partiallybroken away to show the face portion in vertical section along the lineII-II of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a cross section along the line III- III of Fig. 1, showing anarrangement of the cover with interior flanges to form a courseway forplaying units.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the apparatus comprises avertically disposed casing 1 that encloses from view a continuous"courseway 2 for the passage of relatively movable playing counters 3which are preferably in the form of disks having game indicia on theirfaces. The courseway is formed between a pair of op ositely disposedplates, as face sheet 4 and hackin sheet 5, with upstanding anges 6mounte between them as barriers to complete the sides of the passage..its shown in Fig. 3,

the backing sheet 5 is secured by interlocking of its ed es betweenthose of the face sheet 4 and t e edges of the casing. The thickness ofthe countersand the depth of the entire courseway are commensurate witheach other so that the counters may be propelled in series around theentire passage without overlapping each. other and jamf ming. A

The courseway at one side, and bottom, constitutes a relatively narrowpassage having unit-entering and unit-dischargingportions,` but at theother side widens to form a magazine 7 for accumulation of the 85counters. The magazine enables the courseway as a whole to contain theusual 52 separate playing units of a deck of cards and assists inshuiiiing the units eiectively.

v Face sheet 4 is providedpwith an aperture 9 der the aperture at thetop of magazix'ieh7 p upon separate pairs of prongs 10. prongssupporting any counter are adapted to be'withdrawn to permit the counterselected to drop into the magazine. Means to discard any selectedcounters from a hand by Vwithdrawing supporting pron s 10 compriseverticali. key-links 15 of sti material mounted back of each counter, asshown in Fig. 2, with each pair of prongs 10 struck forward from acorres onding link-strip.

. The top of each strip proJects freelv through the slitted top ofcasing 1 and terminates in a suitable depressing button 16; while thebottom end 17 of each strip extends below the counter and is bent backas a tongue from the prongs. The tongue rojects through a slotted guideplate 18, or support thereby. Plate 18 in turn is fastened to the rearof back-plate 5. Thus, as the button 16 back of any selected counter ofthe hand is depressed, bottom 17 of the corresponding strip is retractedby guide 18 to withdraw the supportin prongs from that counter. Itsometimes appens that the counters of a hand bridge under the aperture.Hence-to assure that a selected counter is dropped from 4the hand, eachstrip contains an upper prong 19 to be pushed down upon the counter asthe lower prongs are wlthdrawn. n i

In order to discard a whole hand at once, each slotted guide plate 18 isextended downwardly as an elongate, resilient strip and mounted as avertlcal leaf spring; and a gang plate 2() extendingacross the row ofthese counter-supporting strips is hinged for being swung against therow to push them back together, and to move the supporting prongs backwith them. For swinging gan plate 20, its end is extended out throughthe side of casing 1 and terminates in depressing button 21.

VIn the magazine, discarded counters fall to group themselves in variousrelative positions by chance, and thus to shule them selves. TheyareIshuilled further by being milled around in the magazine under positivepropulsion from a peripherally recessed wheel 11 at the bottom of themagazine. This wheel with horizontal axis is mounted in the plane of thepassageway. .It contains shallow depressions 12 in its edge that arerotated into slight engagement with:l the them inseries around thepassage to form the playing hands. For this purpose the wheel edgecontains recesses 13 of suiiicient depth to receive a counter entirely.In rotation, a recess 13 conveys a counter from the magazine above anddelivers it to the narrow passage below-to advance a train of counters.into the bottom passage, recess 13 is cut away at its back, as shown;and further, the lower part of passage 2 is inclined downwardly awayfrom the wheel. Wheel 11 is rotated by a handle 14' to advance the trainof playin units.

7hen the apparatus is assembled, only discarding keys 16 and 21, andhandle 14 for drawing new counters, are outside the casing. The handlecan be turned at any time to circulate counters in the magazine toshuffle them and to break up 'anyltendency for them to arch over themagazine outlet as well as to advance counters into a hand after acorresponding number of them is discarded. The arrangement of keysaffords-positive and selective control of discarding; while alldiscarded counters re-arrange themselves by chance beyond any control orknowledge ofy a player. l

In playing, handle 14 is turned to advance a series of counters frommagazine 7 until five of the units are exposed under aperture Tofacilitate release of the counter Y.

8. Their further advance is prevented by a barrier, such as at the endof the passageway above the magazine. Should discarding be desirable,anyone or more counters selected may be dropped from the hand bydepressing the appropriate button 16 or the whole hand be dropped atonce by depressing button 21. After one or more counters thus areremoved, their places are filled by turning handle 14 to advance theseries of counters until the space under the aperture again is occupied.This will push the units of a hand all toward one end, but if there areseveral places to be g filled, new units may be introduced one by onesimply-by discontinuing turning of the handle as each place .is filled.Thus a hand is drawn by chance as vacant places are filled and discardedby choice as selected counters are ejected into the magazine.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained theprinciple and mode of operation of my invention, and have illustratedand described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment.However, I `desire to have it understood that, within the lscope of theappended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than asspecifically 'illustrated and described.

,40, eating with the magazine, said casing being ing units, means formoving playing units.

from the magazine into indicating position l in the courseway, and meansfor moving the units from the courseway into the magazine. 2. Againe-apparatus, comprising a caslng having a pair ofoppositely-disposed plates y spaced .from each other to form a chamberfor a set of playing'units, barriersmounted between the plates to dividethe chamber into a magazine and a courseway having unit-enltering andunit-discharging portions communicating with the magazine` thecasingbeing provided with an aperture to expose a limited number ofplaying units, means to withdraw playing units from the magazineand toadvance them in series along the courseway into aperture-exposedposition,

and means for individually moving any of the exposed units from thecourseway'into the magazine.

3. A game apparatus, comprising a casing having aI pair of verticallydisposed plates spaced from each other to form a chamber for the passageof a series of relatively movable playing units, and barriers mountedtherebetween -dividing said chamber into a magazine and a coursewayhaving unit-entering and unit-discharging portions communiprovided withmeans along the courseway to expose ahand of counters, means to discardselected counters from the exposed hand into the magazine, and meanscomprising a peripherally-recessed wheel mounted rotatably below themagazine to advance counters along the courseway from the magazine intothe hand;

4. A game apparatus, comprising a casing including a pair ofoppositely-disposed plates spaced from each other to form a chamber fora set of playing units, barriers between said plates dividing saidchamber into a magazine and a courseway having unit-entering andunit-discharging portions communicating with the magazine, the casingbeing provided with an aperture over the courseway for exposing alimited number of playing units, means for moving the units from thecoursewayinto the magazine,and means for moving playing unit-s from themagazine into aperture-exposed position in the courseway, said means forwithdrawing units from the magazine comprising a wheel rotatably mountedat the bottom of the magazine and -magazine toward the hand.

5.. game; apparatus, comprising a casing having a pair of verticallydisposed plates spaced from each other to form a chamber for the passageof a series of relatively `movable playing units, and barriers mountedtherebetween dividing said chamber into a magazine and a coursewayhaving unitentering and unit-discharging portions coinmunicating withthe magazine, said casing being provided with means along the coursewayto expose a hand of counters, means to discard selected counters fromthe exposed hand into the magazine, and means to withdraw units from themagazine comprising a wheel rotatably mounted at the bottom of themagazine and having an edge recess suiiicientlydeep to withdraw acounter from the magazine and transfer it to the'unit-entering portionof the courseway,said recess being cut away in back and saidunit-entering portion of the courseway being downwardly inclined fromthe wheel to facilitate release of counters into the courseway.

6. A game apparatus, comprising a casing having a pair of verticallydisposed plates spaced from each otherto form a chamber for the passageof aseriesof relatively movable playing units, and barriers mountedtherebetween dividing said chamber into a magazine and a coursewayhaving unit-entering and unit-discharging portions communicating withthe magazine, said casing being provided with means along the coursewayto expose a hand of counters, means to discard selected counters fromthe exposed hand into the magazine, and means comprising aperipherally-recessed wheel mounted rotatably below the magazine toadvance counters along the courseway from the magazine into the hand,said means to expose a hand of counters being disposed over thecourseway at the top of the magazine, and said means to discard countersfrom the exposed hand into the magazine comprising separate supportingelements under each counter of the hand and corresponding separatekey-links mounted movably in the casing for withdrawing the supportingelement from under any corresponding counter. t

7. A game apparatus, comprising a casing having a pair of verticallydisposed plates spaced from each other to form a chamber for the passageof a series of relatively movable playing units, and barriers mountedltherebetween dividing said chamber into a provided with means alongthecourseway to expose a hand of counters,means to discard selectedcounters from the exposed hand into the magazine, means comprising aperipherally-recessed wheel mounted rotatably below the magazine toadvance counters along the courseway from the magazine into' the hand,said aperture being disposed over the courseway at the top of themagazine, and said means to discard counters from the eX- posed handinto the magazine comprising pairs of supporting prongs under eachlcounter of the hand and key-links mounted through the casing 'forindividual movement and having inclined tongues secured to therespective prongs, and slotted guide members ,mounted to engagetheinclined tongues for withdrawing any counter support as its keylinkis depressed.

8. A game apparatus, comprising a casing i having a pair of verticallydisposed plates spaced from each other to form a chamber for the passageof a series of relatively movable playing units, and barriers mountedtherebetween dividing said chamber into a magazine and a coursewayhaving a unitentering and unit-discharging portions communicating withthe magazine, said casing being provided withmeans along the coursewayto expose a hand of counters, means to discard selected counters fromthe exposedl hand into the magazine, means comprising a 'lperipherally-recessed wheel vmounted rotatably below themagazine toadvance counters along the coursewayfrom the magazine into the hand,said aperture being disposed over the courseway at the top of themagazine, and

said means to `discard counters from the exposed hand into the magazinecomprising separate pairs of supporting prongs under each counter of thehand and separate keylinks mounted through the casing for individualmovement Vand having inclined tongues secured tothe respectiveprongs,and

slotted guide members mounted to engage the inclined tongues forwithdrawing any counter support as its key-link is depressed, said'slotted guide members being resiliently mounted in the casing, and a.gang-plate extending across all the slotted guide membersand mounted forforcing all the guide members' and supporting prongs back together tod1scard a whole hand at once. .Y

In testimony whereof, I sign m name.

THEODORE` H.. LOAN.

